Olmert’s plan to hand over parts of Jerusalem — or in the current regime’s double-talk it is reffered to as “share” — is totally ludicrous and highly dangerous. Some might even call it suicidal. With pressure from the Staff Department, White House, Israel is reviving one of the dumbest plans floated to solve the current conflict.
Imagine: with a barrier constructed that puts Arab neighborhoods under Palestinian jurisdiction and connected to a Palestinian entity in the West Bank, it will be only a matter of minutes before missiles are raining down on the Knesset. Has Olmert’s prostate cancer spread to his brain? Casting logic, religion, history and reason aside, we even have some Jewish groups along for the Olmert head-trip, (most recently Rabbi Kanefsky from LA.)
According to the Washington Post:
Under the plan, which would be executed unilaterally if efforts to resume peace talks fail, Jerusalem’s Old City, its holy shrines and the adjacent neighborhoods, would become a “special region with special understandings” but remain under Israeli sovereignty, said Schneller.
Special, as in Special K? So they start handing over the deeds to Jerusalem and the Arabs just say, “Yeh, thats cool, keep that Old City under Special Jurisdiction”. They must be eating infected mushrooms.
The Old City and the adjacent “holy basin,” which includes the predominantly Arab neighborhoods of Silwan and Sheik Jarrah, would fall on the Israeli side of the separation barrier Israel is building in the West Bank, another Israeli official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because plans are not final.
Silwan, a place where I was stoned during the first Intifada. A place that makes Watts seem hospitable. Oh and Seik Jarrah, is a regular Neve Shalom!
The plan also calls for moving the barrier westward. That means much of East Jerusalem would no longer be cut off from the West Bank and most Arab neighborhoods of Jerusalem could become part of a future Palestinian state on the eastern side of the barrier, the official said.
So all the weapons that are being stockpiled by Hamas in the West Bank, and the missiles that are being produced in Nablus and other towns, will be able to be transported without interference to the front lines and aimed at Jewish Jerusalem.
One struggles to understand how anyone who cares about the future of Israel, who cares about Jewish lives, who cares about preventing Hamastan from replacing Israel, can let this happen.
Once upon a time, a long time ago, people of different ethnic groups could share major cities, establish neighborhoods with local character, cultural resources, schools, and restaurants. One could live in these islands of culture, immersed in your own language, for an entire lifetime if you chose. However these work only when there is a desire of the inhabitants to build peaceful lives, and respect the rule of law.
When Jordan controlled the other side of a Jerusalem fence from 1948-1967, Jews were victims of snipers on a regular basis. Instead of being in the cross hair’s of Jordanian snipers, all of Jerusalem will be at the mercy of gangs of Hamas terrorists, bent of destruction and chaos, the imposition of Muslim law throughout the city, and the subjugation and murder of its Jewish inhabitants. Hamas is waiting for Olmert to hand over the deed to half of our capital, and then Hamas will do to “Al Quds” EXACTLY what they have done to Gaza. Lay waste to the PA, murder its opponents, set up squads of missile launchers, and build Hizbollah style bunkers on the other side, lest Israel get any ideas of returning.
However, if there is no outcry from Christians and Jews alike, Olmert’s Suicide plan is bound to stay afloat for the foreseeable future.
JM, are you really trying to say that losing one’s virginity is worse than getting prostate cancer? Really? Honestly?
CK, Muffti wasn’t offended. He just didn’t think it wasf unny. Try again, muchachoa.
We have to take some responsibilty for the demographic issues/division in Jerusalem. While far out outposts were being established in J & S, Jews were not moving to Jerusalem in droves. In fact, many left. This should’ve been Israelis and the Israeli gov’t’s top priority.
It fundamentally delegitimizes Israel’s sovereignty.
Why is even the ‘talk about dividing jersualem’ damaging and deterimental to all jews, everywhere?
Thanks Rabbi Yonah for getting the word out. Even the talk abotu dividing Jerusalem is damaging and detrimental to all Jews, everywhere.
Dan Aviv made a ludicrous remark about giving away something that is already divided. I wonder if that means basically dividing up many cities in the world based on ethnic lines. Dan, just because I usually don’t tracel to the Galil means we should give sovreignty to the Arabs who live there instead?
I don’t know what was said about Olmert, but his cancer scares me. As Sarah said, it might change his priorities or stegthen his convictions. He doe not want to go down as a loser PM so he might be ‘going for broke’ at our expense while he’s still around.
It’s too bad no one remembers the feeling when Jerusalem was reunited. Talking about giving it away is basically delegitimizing our right to all of Israel, cuz you know, most Jews in the world have never been to Israel. Right Dan?
And where’s Middle. I am waiting for him to say how it will be a good idea to give it away unilaterally if Anapolis fails.
Some people are apparently paying lip service to the peaceniks, without actually knowing what they stand for. This is the real statement of the peaceniks:
http://www.seruv.org.il/defaulteng.asp
This clearly does not include dividing Jerusalem.
So what do we do about Abbas trying to corrupt the Fatah party? Kill him, plain and simple. And that doesn’t mean devastating anything. Let’s show America the right way to kill a tyrant.
Rabbi Yonah makes a powerful argument here. We & Israeli’s will ignore it at our obvious peril. I can’t tell you how many arguments I get into with well meaning ‘peace supporters’ here even in the Deep South. They do a PA PR tour and they come back filled with just swell nostrums. ‘But Hamas Did have a cease fire!’ Etc… I’ve said it once if I’ve said it 1000 times. Non violent resistance has never been tried by the PA, and those that favor such things get shot or worse. It’s always ‘war by other means’. If you do not understand this after 60 years of history, you’ll deserve it when they dig up your grave to throw your bones into the sea. And then claim, as they do now, ‘but no Jews ever existed here!’ ‘There’s no proof!’
The sooner all the current leadership leaves the scene the better. We need a fresh start. Perhaps a new generation. Always we’re looking for people who ‘love their children more than they love war & cherish their hatreds’. I know Jews & Israeli’s like that. Let us now count them for the other side.
[Hearing only the song of the crickets…]
Cheers, ‘VJ’
I cannot share some optimism now, but”This whole division talk is right now not more than a political PR stunt by Ulmert, Abu Mazen and Condi. The surface of some substantial questions have not even been scratched yet. Also, there is already a kind of separation line in place and also a lot of demographic pressure. Especially the demographic development is very real.
The danger of seeing rocket attacks on Jewish Jerusalem is something that will have to be dealt with sooner or later anyway. Or even a third intifada.
In this case, chas v chalilah, a clear division of Jerusalem would also enable a possibilities for a more powerful military option that could be enforced without declaring a state of war.
About humor: Victims of fate/misfortune are not funny, because compassionate people realize that none of us are exempt from pain, and it feels or should feel cruel to belittle someone who has obviously had to suffer, regardless of the person’s ability to overcome it. When you are dealt a blow like cancer, there is no choice in the matter. People who choose celibacy are exercising their free will, and are hardly operating from a position of weakness. Those of us who feel that for various reasons it is a strange choice as a social group are not making fun of powerless people. Had the subject been forced celibacy and altered sexuality by genital mutilation, no one would be laughing. I think there is a difference between the two.
Apologies for going OT.
Prostate cancer affects a high percentage of men from their fifties on; in many cases, it can successfully be treated, in my grandfather’s case, the cancer was malignant and spread out to his bone marrow, which eventually caused his death. The news of being taken ill with a possibly serious disease can turn one more sentimental; I don’t know Olmert in person though, so I can’t tell. When my bf was (mistakenly) diagnosed with stomach cancer at age 25, that diagnosis also caused a change in our priorities and outlook on life.
Public puncture?? Worse and worse.
Prostate cancer is very treatable and the man will be all right. If it were pancreatic or lung cancer nobody would have said that.
No offense but I didn’t think it was that funny. You have no idea the pressures the young are under these days. They have to meet their numbers. They have to produce. They have to march in step. This prepares them for the workplace. Privacy, sincerity, love, allegiance to family and marriage, all those things are not allowed. Those things are bad for business. Unattached workers are much easier to over-work in the evenings and on weekends, and move around to different cities as needed.
So saying no to all that is much harder than you realize.
Harumph.
I actually thought I was giving Olmert the benefit of the doubt. Had his illness spread to the brain, I could understand how his mental capacity could be crippled.
Ironic how now one has talked to any of the points that this post makes —
Jerusalem is divided along religious lines for Jews too- and there should be a lot done to heal the rifts Arab-Jewish, Secular-Charedi, etc…. However, ceding the land to Hamas is not a solution.
Wow! We managed to offend muffti?? I didn’t think such a thing was possible! Wow. I am going to have to sit down and reassess my entire world view.
JM, that’s not true: 1) Muffti never said it had to be a private puncture and 2) that was funny, even if in bad taste. Cancer jokes? Not funny at all!
i personally agree with your arguements. however, one of the reasons we love Israel is it’s a democratic country. Israeli’s know their own history, how the arabs lie, etc. even the most hard-core of peaceniks will not vote for suicide. Let the voters vote and we’ll take it from there.
Oh blah. It’s in no worse taste than offering ten bucks for a private puncture of the publicly prim.
This is a relevant piece for some info about some various people’s opinion in case anybody cares:
http://www.jta.org/cgi-bin/iowa/news/print/20071028rabitab.html
Muffti has to say that prostate cancer jokes are a little beyond the pale of good, or ever jewlicious, taste. sorry rabbi but Muffti just doesn’t see how that is funny.
Aw Tom… you know sometimes we push the boundaries there a little. But what’s most important really is that we allow you unfettered freedom to call us out whenever you feel we’ve crossed line. I’m sorry you feel that offended, and your presence has been missed. As for Jerusalem – it’s a touchy subject. Dan makes some pretty valid points but dividing Jerusalem? Oy. Talk about painful…
“Has Olmert’s prostate cancer spread to his brain?”
About a week ago I decided to come back to jewlicious after abandoning it after Rabbi Yonah’s revolting post on the passing of a member of the Jewish community.
It seems my return was premature. Honestly, if you can’t attack an idea without cheep shots like that then you’re not worth reading… i’ll try again in a couple of month, maybe.
Face facts. As someone who seems somewhat familiar with the city, you know that Jerusalem is already divided. Jewish Israelis do not venture into the Palestinian areas and the only reason Palestinians enter the Jewish neighborhoods is to find work at sub-standard wages… You just don’t see the wall – but it’s there.
It’s time we formalized that arrangement and took that issue off the table so we can get on with a more substantive issue: ending the violence that has devastated Israeli society for the past 90 years.
We are not strong enough to crush the Pals and get away with it. We’ll ultimately have to give them a lot of what they want, including respect. Let’s get on with it.
I think G-d has a great sense of humor, giving Olmert pro-state cancer.